Seat Leon Cupra for VW Cup

The Fuchs Lubricants backed VW Racing Cup will see an exciting new addition to the grid ahead of the 2010 series – an entry with a difference.

During the first 10 years of the Championship, the series has seen a number of different pieces of machinery – as well as the first ever diesel powered win and the first VW Caddy Van to be raced in the series. Now, ahead of the 2010 season, it has been confirmed that former VW Caddy racer Peter Wyhinny will have a new car – a Seat Leon Cupra.

Wyhinny raced the crowd pleasing VW Caddy while he worked for VW, as the Director for Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, to promote the brand and to show that a van can be used in motorsport and be competitive.

Now, Wyhinny is Director of Seat UK and he felt it was time to make a different statement, by entering a Seat into a VW Championship. His 2 litre turbo Cupra is being used as a promotional tool so isn't eligible to score points, meaning Championship points aren't taken away from the VW Cup runners. Wyhinny believes the car will be a competitive proposition: “The SEAT Leon Cupra is very similar to the Golf GTI in many important respects; not least that it essentially shares the same engine. I’m looking forward to going out there and flying the flag for an important member of the Volkswagen Group.”

The VW Racing Cup Championship Manager, Melissa Wright, added: “This is the latest in a long line of promotional vehicles which Volkswagen Racing UK has built and introduced to the championship. The first was the Golf TDI in 2002, which distinguished itself by becoming the first-ever diesel race winner in Britain, and it was followed by the four-wheel-drive Golf R32, the Caddy, the first of the Mk V Golf GTIs and most recently the Scirocco. We’re sure that the SEAT Leon Cupra will prove a popular addition to the field.”

Seat UK plans to use the Cupra as the main centrepiece for all of the company's promotional activities at the circuits, such as Club Seat, which offers members (who don't have to be Seat owners) the chance to enter competitions and attend car related events.

The Fuchs Lubricants backed VW Racing Cup's 2010 season starts at Oulton Park alongside the British F3/British GT on the 3rd and 5th April.